1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera capable of designating the number of prints, i.e, capable of, at the time of photo-taking, designating the number of prints of a taken photograph, for the purpose of instructing a printing apparatus or photofinishing apparatus to produce the designated number of prints of the photograph.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, there have been proposed cameras capable of permitting the user to beforehand designate the number of prints of a taken photograph at the time of photo-taking. For example, in a camera disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. HEI 8-110566, when the number of prints of a photograph has been designated, information on the designated number of prints is recorded on a film by a magnetic head at the time of winding of the film after completion of photo-taking on each frame of the film. In addition, in a case where it is desired to correct the number of prints already designated for any frame of the film after completion of photo-taking on the frame, when the number of prints has been redesignated, the film is rewound to an extent of one frame and, after that, information on the redesignated number of prints is recorded on the film by the magnetic head while this frame portion of film is wound up again.
Further, some types of cameras capable of designating the number of prints beforehand have already been commercialized. For example, there is a type of camera arranged to, when the number of prints is designated before photo-taking by the user, display the designated number of prints on an external display member of the camera. In addition, there is another type of camera capable of changing the number of prints even after photo-taking, in which the number of prints to be changed is also displayed on an external display member of the camera.
In the above-mentioned camera capable of designating the number of prints, when the user designates the number of prints, he or she makes reference to the indication of the number of prints displayed on the external display member (for example, a liquid crystal display) of the camera. However, there is no clear indication as to discrimination between the number of prints displayed on the external display member when designating the number of prints before photo-taking and the number of prints displayed on the external display member when redesignating the number of prints for correction after photo-taking. So, there are a number of obscure points. Further, in the above-mentioned camera, since one and the same display manner is employed in both the indication of the number of prints designated before photo-taking and the indication of the number of prints designated after photo-taking, there are such shortcomings that, even when the user looks at the indication of the number of prints displayed on the external display member, he or she tends to be unable to discriminate the indication between a display made for designating the number of prints for a frame before exposure and a display made for redesignating the number of prints for a frame after exposure.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a camera comprising a number-of-prints designating device which selectively designates number of prints for each frame of an image recording medium, and a display device which makes it possible to know whether a frame of the image recording medium for which number of prints is to be selectively designated by the number-of-prints designating device is an exposed frame or an unexposed frame, so that the camera is of excellent operability to enable the user to readily find whether the frame for which the number of prints is to be designated is an unexposed frame or an exposed frame.
The above and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.